Title: Death of a Kingfisher
Author: MC Beaton
Review: The Death series are cozy mysteries featuring the every insightful small town copper Hamish Macbeth. He resides in the little Scottish village of Lochdubh, where, in spite of the group of quirky locals, he solves an inordinate amount of murders. The whole thing, like any good cozy, is more about the detective, the location, and the atmosphere that the community provides then it is about the crimes themselves. In the Death series MC Beaton has created a truly magnificent world for these murders to happen.. Think Murder She Wrote as an example of the genre.
Well Kingfisher starts out right on pace with the murder of a bird, the Kingfisher of the story. Hamish is charming, the location is beautiful, and the townsfolk all Twins Peak quirky like you expect; at least for the first three quarters of the book. Then the thing totally goes off the rails by killing people left and right, making Scarface appear to be a Pixar release in comparison. The next thing you know we are off to America with crazy ultra-rich, religious zealot bad guys. WTF!
I do not know what happened with this book, but maybe Mrs. Beaton should lay off the Red Bull.
Publisher: Published February 22nd 2012 by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 9780446547369
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 245
Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)
Where did I get the book: The local library.
Why I Read It: It’s a series I keep up with.
Synopsis: When Scotland is hit by the recession, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices that the Highland people are forced to come up with inventive ways to lure tourists to their sleepy towns. The quaint village of Braikie doesn't have much to offer, other than a place of rare beauty called Buchan's Wood, which was bequeathed to the town. The savvy local tourist director renames the woods "The Fairy Glen," and has brochures printed with a beautiful photograph of a kingfisher rising from a pond on the cover.
It isn't long before coach tours begin to arrive. But just as the town's luck starts to turn, a kingfisher is found hanging from a branch in the woods with a noose around its neck. As a wave of vandalism threatens to ruin Braikie forever, the town turns to Hamish Macbeth. And when violence strikes again,the lawman's investigation quickly turns from animal cruelty to murder.
Author Biography: M. C. Beaton has been hailed as "the new Queen of Crime." She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, which began with The Quiche of Death and also include As the Pig Turns and Busy Body, set in the English Cotswolds, as well as the Hamish Macbeth mysteries set in Scotland. She has also written historical romance novels and an Edwardian mystery series under the name Marion Chesney. Before writing her first novels, Beaton worked as a bookseller, a newspaper reporter, a fashion critic, and a waitress in a greasy spoon. Born in Scotland, she currently divides her time between Paris and a village in the Cotswolds. She was selected the British Guest of Honor for the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in 2006.
I liked all the previous Hamish books, and now you have me curious about this newest one!
ReplyDeleteI own all the Hamish books. My husband, son, and I love them BUT 'Death of a Kingfisher' disappointed all three of us. It did not seem possible that it was written by the same author as the previous books. Does anyone know if it was someone else?
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